1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to masonry construction. More specifically, the present invention pertains to building block units, installation of building block units and methods of manufacturing and utilizing such. In particular, the present invention pertains to a unique building block unit or modular building unit in which a standard brick or other type of building block is placed in a mold and a mounting strip applied to faces of the brick or other type building block and allowed to set as an additional manufacturing step to form the building block unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Masonry construction, one of the traditional methods of building, has been utilized for many centuries. Masonry, simply stated, is the assembly of building block units, such as bricks, stone, concrete, etc., by laying such units adjacent to each other in a composite wall, column or other structure. These units are typically joined by some type of mortar which is wet and mixed and applied to the surface of one building unit or block adjacent thereto. The mortar sets up, cementing the building units together as it hardens. Such masonry construction has distinctive architectural characteristics which have been desired throughout the ages, still being the type of construction preferred by many.
Because of its strength, relative uniformity, appearance and other characteristics, the brick, and especially the fired clay brick, has been one of the most used and desired building units for masonry construction. The typical brick is in the shape of a rectangular box and in building a wall with bricks, layers of bricks are laid in stepped or staggered relationships so that an overlying brick straddles the joint of a pair of underlying bricks. While the typical rectangular box-like brick is most common, a number of brick and other building block shapes have been developed over the years to obtain enhanced appearances, more uniform construction, or other characteristics sought for masonry construction. Examples of such specially designed bricks or building blocks may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,299,599; 3,479,782; 3,936,987; 4,091,587; and 4,124,961. In fact, there are countless shapes and designs in bricks and other building blocks.
The typical kiln fired bricks utilized in masonry construction are made of clay or shale. The bricks are typically molded, dried and burned in kilns. There are several methods of molding bricks and other building blocks. There are several qualities of bricks and other building blocks, quality being determined by strength, durability, etc. One of the major problems associated with masonry construction is the nonuniformity of building block dimensions due to shrinkage, warping, twisting, etc. Because of these characteristics, mortar is necessary not only to bond the bricks or other building blocks together, but to smooth out the irregularities thereof.
Another major problem associated with masonry construction is the mortar materials utilized to bond the bricks or other building blocks together. In many respects, mortar is the weak link in masonry construction. It normally has less compressive and tensile strength than the building blocks it joins. The shear strength of masonry is a function of the bond strength of mortar to the associated brick or other building block and frictional resistance at the building block-mortar interface. The water tightness of masonry construction is primarily dictated by the characteristics of the mortar which is more water permeable than brick and most other building block materials. While so much depends on the quality of mortar used, mortars are typically mixed at the job site and can easily be incorrectly mixed or used beyond its useful mix life. Thus, even though masonry construction has been utilized for centuries, there are still some inherent problems pertaining to the lack of uniformity of quality and dimensions in the brick or other building blocks and to the weaknesses associated with the mortars used therewith. Accordingly, the search continues for improved masonry construction.
The prior art is generally directed to building units which have blocks in a flush relation to each other and do not include a separate mounting strip extending about the entire periphery of a block for separating adjacent blocks from each other. U.S. Pat. No. 2,077,750 dated Apr. 20, 1937 shows a mounting border along opposed sides of a building block but not about the entire periphery of the building block. U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,815 dated Jan. 24, 1984 likewise does not show a separate mounting strip secured about the periphery of a block and adjacent blocks are in flush relation to each other, not separated by a mounting strip or the like.